Thursday, 8 March 2012

Two things I'm obsessed with: Game of Thrones (currently) and stationery (always). So when I was sent a GoT stationery set complete with its own dragon egg, I nearly EXPLODED with joy. Parchment! Beautiful envelopes! Wax and a seal! Admittedly not a fluffy seal that barks, but the very next best kind!

It's House Targaryen, which is the one with fabulous dragon queen Daenarys. So, clearly, the best one. Unfortunately, this set was a one-off for yours truly, so I thought I'd round up some fantastic equivalents for those of you who, like me, adore thick paper, proper envelopes, and secretly long for a seal of your own.There are plenty of places doing personalised seals (arf! Arf!) but I really like this one from Buy Them Gifts. You can choose from 13 pre-set fonts or supply your own, as well as choosing up to three initials and their placement. It's £19.96.

Oh man. I know this is unbelievably twee, but scented sealing wax? Why the hell not! Not sure about rose (Forever Friends) or pine (bit...toilety), but lavender? I doubt there's anything lavender-scented that I haven't owned at one point. I love it. Five sticks making approximately 10 blobs each costs you £12.10 from Mappa Mundi.

If you're getting married and want something different, then oh my GOD go to Timeless Style immediately. Whether you want burned edged parchment, scrolls or precious, sealed envelopes, it's here and done absolutely beautifully. All hand-lettered and available in seven calligraphic styles, there is so much to perve over here that I'm tempted to order a sample pack marrying me to my eyes.

A bit of a cheat, this - it's just the set that comes sealed! But if you can't be arsed to write a massive missive, correspondence cards are what you want, and the embossed wording on this one - "The pen is mightier than the sword" - is very GoT and very Domestic Sluttery. If we went to war, we'd use our cunning. Either that, or we'd stab the bastards with our heels (or in my case, embody Rosa Klebb and put knives into my flats.)

Each box from Bath-based Etsy shop Meticulous Ink contains 10 beautiful cards made from 400gsm bamboo card, and 10 navy tissue-lined envelopes. There are loads to choose from - Roald Dahl, Bruce Lee, Marilyn and more - as well as lovely animal prints which you can also get on their letterhead paper.

I just adore the magpie paper set. This is £19.95, but fair enough I suppose as you can fit more instructions on how to properly conduct a war on it. Plus, you get 15 sheets with 15 tissue-lined envelopes.

My last task from that gift set is the dragon egg. My office rather crushingly pointed out that my dragon egg was unlikely to hatch, so try a Lush Dragon's Egg instead (£3.15). This one will *definitely* open up, with glitter, gold, colourful foam and a lovely citrus scent that will leave you feeling expensive rather than burned to death. Sssssssuper.

Game of Thrones season 2 starts at 9pm, April 2, on Sky Atlantic. Not that I've got it engraved in my mind, diary and Google calendar or anything.

1 comment:

When I was eighteen the best boyfriend I've had bought me a quill (complete with four or five sets and a gorgeous ink bottle) from Venice. I love letter writing (and of course don't do it nearly as often as I should), so getting my own seal seems only sensible.

Sealing wax always makes me think of Alice in Wonderland:'"The time has come", The Walrus said, "to talk of other things. Of shoes and ships and sealing wax and cabbages and kings"'.